State

A state is a territory considered as an organized

political community under one government. A state
has four main elements: territory, population,
government, and sovereignty. A state also has fixed
geographical boundaries. It is also not dependent or
subordinate to any other state; it has an
independent governance system.
Nation
A nation is a group of people with a common language,
history, culture, and (usually) geographic territory. A state is
an association of people characterized by formal institutions
of government, including laws; permanent territorial
boundaries; and sovereignty (political independence).
Philippines as Nation and State
 Significance of Malolos Congress
Emilio Aguinaldo issued a decree on July 18, 1898 asking for the election of delegates to the revolutionary
congress, another decree was promulgated five days later, which declared that Aguinaldo would appoint
representatives of congress because holding elections is not practical at that time. He appointed 50 delegates in
all (but this number fluctuated from time to time). In accordance with these two decrees, Aguinaldo assembled
the Revolutionary Congress at the Brasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan on September 15, 1898.The atmosphere
was festive and the Pasig Band played the national anthem. After Aguinaldo had read his speech congressional
elections were held among the delegates present. The following were among the most important achievements
of the Malolos Congress:

1. In September 29, 1898, ratified the declaration of Philippine independence held at Kawit, Cavite on June 12,
1898

2. Passage of a law that allowed the Philippines to borrow P 20 million from banks for government expenses

3. Establishment of the Universidad Literatura de Filipinas and other schools

4. Drafting of the Philippine Constitution

5. Declaring war against the United States on June 12, 1899

Malolos Constitution
In 1899, the Malolos Constitution, the first Philippine Constitution
—the first republican constitution in Asia—was drafted and adopted
by the First Philippine Republic, which lasted from 1899 to 1901.
During the American Occupation, the Philippines was governed by
the laws of the United States of America.
The Malolos Constitution was never enforced because of the Philippine-
American War The Treaty of Paris of 1898, which ended the Spanish-
American War, involved Spain selling the Philippines to the United States
for 20 million dollars, without the Filipinos knowing about the agreement.
 The Mololos Constitution
A committee headed by Felipe Calderon and aided by Cayetano Arellano, the constitution was
drafted, for the first time by representatives of the Filipino people and it is the first republican
constitution in Asia. The constitution was inspired by the constitutions of Mexico, Guatemala,
Costa Rica, Brazil, Belgium and France. After some minor revisions (mainly due to the
objections of Apolinario Mabini), the final draft of the constitution was presented to
Aguinaldo. This paved the way to launching the first Philippine Republic.
It established a democratic, republication government with three branches - the Executive,
Legislative and the Judicial branches. It called for the separation of church and state.
•The executive powers were to be exercise by the president of the republic with the help of his
cabinet.
•Judicial powers were given to the Supreme Court and other lower courts to be created by law.
•The Chief justice of the Supreme Court was to be elected by the legislature with the
concurrence of the President and his Cabinet.
The Malolos Constitution
-Important Filipino document ever produced by the people’s
representatives.
-Anchored in democratic traditions that ultimately had their roots on
American soil.
-Created a Filipino state whose government was ‘popular, representative
and responsible’
-Three distinct branches: Executive, Legislative and the Judicial
-Specifically provided for safeguards against abuses and individual rights,
not only of the Filipinos but also the aliens.
Significance Birth of Nation-State
•For 300 years, the Philippines had been under the control of Spanish invaders. Following the
declaration of the First Philippine Republic, popularly known as the Malolos Republic, on
January 23, 1899, the Philippines became an independent nation governed by its own citizens.
•Filipino has intensifies its desires for achieving freedom and governance. As proof they agreed
on the different laws provided by US. Like the Jones Law.
•It dreams for recognition of sovereignty as independent country, not colonized by individual.
•The Filipino nationalism arises that requires to the establishment and support of a political
identity associated with the modern nation-state of the Philippines, leading to a wide-ranging
campaign for political, social, and economic freedom in the Philippines.